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A Western History of the Reef
For most historians, the history of the Reef begins around one and one-half millennia ago, when the legendary hero Ferrod the Dragonspeaker made peace with the tyrannous white dragons of the Reef, forcing them to return to the wastes of the North and leave the humanoid races to prosper, unbothered, in the South. Ferrod, not a king, but the first leader of men in the West, would go on to found a city bearing his name, Ferroford, marking the beginning of the common era in the Reef. As for the time before the tale of the Dragonspeaker, however, little is known for certain. Historians merely quibble as to the validity of differing legends from the elven coast to the southern desert, fragmented stories of conflicting nature telling tales far too surreal or illogical to be believed. Tattered, elven manuscripts depict the discovery of magic, something often attributed to Ferrod himself further south, while other stories speak of gods walking amongst mortals, visitors from far across the Padrian Sea, and even Janus himself, the mythical, primeval sea beast of the West, accepting human sacrifices along the Western coast. Throughout all of this, Eastmark, the kingdom of men across the Rubrak Mountains, stood as it always had: stoic, isolated, and rooted in its own tradition, with little care for the rest of the Reef or for historical accuracy. This is, of course, due to their traditional practice of attributing most historically relevant events to themselves and their supposedly infinite royal line. All that is known for certain is that elves, men, dwarves, and the other races of varying human resemblance have been present in the Reef for longer than recorded history, but due to Eastmark’s failure to accurately record the past, and the fragmented, tribal nature of the other semi-civilized races, little is truly known of the tumultuous times before the Dragonspeaker and his expulsion of the white dragons. After Ferrod, however, came the dawn of centralized civilization, and with it, accurate recordings of history. For this reason, the known history of the Reef relies primarily on accounts of the early elders of Ferroford, and after them, learned men from the Western Kingdom and the Kramer Empire. The term “Reef” itself, as recorded by the works of early Ferrofordian intellectuals, supposedly came into use nearly a century after Ferroford’s founding, due to early cartographers’ sketches of the known landmasses resembling an elongated, coastal strip. During these early years, Ferroford would become a beacon of civilization, shielding, taxing, and dominating an increasing number of villages and tribes in the general vicinity as it grew in influence and power. The city’s founder, Ferrod, oversaw expansion during this infantile stage, becoming both a civic and martial hero of the early West. After his death, a council of democratically elected elders per Ferrod’s own decree would rule over the city, ensuring that this new light on the Western Coast would never be snuffed out by raiders or corruption, like so many attempts at centralized power had died before. Unfortunately, while Ferroford would continue to thrive, the spirit of democracy would be short lived. 143 years after the city’s founding, or 143 After Ferrod as it is commonly recorded, Ferrod’s own grandson Brigael would crown himself king of Ferroford and its constituents, attempting to consolidate power by casting down the elders and mimicking the feudal system of the ancient czar-kings of the East. This monarchic tradition would continue with remarkable success for hundreds of years, seeing the newly dubbed “Western Kingdom” grow at a remarkable rate as it conquered tribes of humans, elves, and dwarves, only to install regional lords from among their respective populaces to govern them. Under this doctrine, the Western Kingdom transformed the scattered tribes and city-states of the Reef into functioning duchies and fiefdoms, spurring an influx of trade, research, and construction both in the capital and in the region at large. This grand territory, exceptionally large for its time, would eventually cover as much land as the Western Free Cities controlled before the Durzian revolution today. However, nearly 200 years after the birth of the Western Kingdom, expansion ceased in the North and South, stymied by the heat of southern desert and the powerful elven tribes of Tolstock. The result was nearly catastrophic, as ambitious lords, once sated by rapidly expanding borders, had nowhere to look but inward. It was then that one such noble, the charismatic and opportunistic Varam Kramer, suddenly found himself the newly anointed Lord of Riverstone, a massive keep nestled in the Rubrak foothills known as Kade north of the capital. Distantly, though not directly related to Ferrod, Varam was thrust into lordship at the ripe age of 16 upon the death of his father, the Baron of Riverstone and Duke of Kade. Finally, to make matters worse for the young lord, civil war broke loose in the Western Kingdom only two months after his ascension in 340 AF. The former king, Brigael the Second, died with two heirs, the younger son Turin being a popular figure in Ferrofordian nobility, and the elder Leo a mistrusted scoundrel with questionable inclinations. In a political climate fueled by land-hungry lords, the spark of unpopular inheritance immediately set the West in flames, beginning a succession crisis known as the War of Ascension. Lord Kramer – still young and inexperienced, but with a natural talent for seizing the moment – followed the example of other powerful nobles in the South and declared for the younger Turin, creating Northern enemies at his doorstep ripe for conquest. For Kramer, the calculated move paid off, as the weaker lords surrounding Riverstone broke easily against its daunting walls, eventually submitting, with broken armies, to the new lord’s superior forces. By balancing diplomacy with well-placed assaults, the newfound political and military prodigy fought his way south, gaining renown for his ability both on and off the battlefield. Kramer’s success attracted droves of glory-seeking adventurers to his side, along with powerful wizards, sorcerers, and clerics hoping to steer the promising leader in the right direction. After a brilliant, two-year military campaign driven by natural instinct and perfected by Varam’s sage advisers, the 18-year-old Lord Kramer arrived at the gates of Ferroford ready to accept the gratitude of his victorious king. However, just as Kramer and Turin began to publicly celebrate what seemed to be the end of a bloody conflict, disaster struck. Turin, childless, died at the hands of an unknown assailant in the heart of the city, fatally poisoned during a victory parade. Chaos in the streets of Ferroford ensued, and the West held its breath, bracing for a new round of gory war, now without an obvious successor to fill the royal void. Except for one choice, at least. There, in the heart of the city, was Varam Kramer, giving orders to a panic-stricken populace without a note of anxiety in his voice. His assumption of control, at the ripe age of 18, occurred naturally from the city outwards, leading Turin’s officers to submit to Kramer and his detail in fear of being crushed by him, his advisers, his company of adventurers, and the Ferrofordians that so admired him. The young Lord of Riverstone and Kade, now a famous leader known for diplomatic tact and battlefield prowess, assumed the power vacuum so naturally that many claimed he orchestrated the murder of King Turin himself. Regardless of such accusations, Kramer seized power, humbly accepted the Western Crown, and handily defeated all remaining forces opposing his rule. As the new King of the Western Kingdom, Kramer was still young, obviously gifted, and extremely popular, a combination potent enough to lay the foundations of an empire. After his coronation, Kramer solidified his rule by moving the capital to his home at the foot of the Rubrak Mountains, renaming Riverstone to “Kramer’s Crown,” to ensure his own name would live on like Ferrod’s had in the old capital. This move was not exceptionally popular with the men of Ferroford, but that hardly seemed to matter with the plethora of adoration he received from the rest of the Kingdom. From Kramer’s Crown, the new king waited, built an army, and schemed to create an empire. From his seat of power, Kramer sent spies and informants to the divided elves of Tolstock, again waiting for the perfect time to strike. Four years later, in 346, the 22-year-old king was finally ready for action. His informants had promised the most powerful tribes positions of power after the invasion, should they provide information and support to the invading Southerners. This proved to be crucial, as the last time the men of Ferroford attempted assault, the elves banded together, for a moment, to resists foreign rule. Now they remained divided as ever, and with the help of the more powerful tribes, Kramer and his army soundly conquered the region. This would be the beginning of a new era, a time of prosperity and peace. This was the era of the Kramer Empire. Victoriously returning home to his ancestral seat, Kramer arranged for a massive ceremony to be held, accepting a new title, Emperor, from the ecstatic Southerners that had just witnessed the first recorded defeat of the Tolstockain elven tribes in history. Varam Kramer was now an emperor, and excluding the barren, hostile wastes of the North and the daunting kingdom of Eastmark, seemingly everything was under his control. Kramer would prove to be a passable leader in peacetime as well, only expanding his borders when necessary and soundly crushing rebellions the few times they occurred. The Reef, under his rule, improved drastically. Magic, without conflict to interrupt its progress, became widespread throughout the land. The population rose higher than it ever had before, the races seemed to get along fairly well, and Ferroford, the spiritual capital of the Kramer Empire, became exceptionally rich. Kramer’s Crown, in all of this, remained as it had been before, daunting and well-protected, but without the population to be considered a city in its own right. This period of prosperity would last for many, many years, as Kramer himself didn’t seem to age at the same rate as most men. Perhaps due to a strange lineage, or possibly resulting from magical assistance from his many advisers, Kramer lived for an exceptionally long time, living long enough to celebrate his 141st birthday with two sons, four grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. However, even with his exceptional longevity, Kramer wouldn’t live forever. Even though his body remained relatively sound, age would take its toll on Varam Kramer’s mind. Even at 140 years, the Emperor could stand, speak, fight, and ride; however, his ability to command respect, and, more crucially, think logically, eroded drastically as the years passed. It was around the year 460, more than 100 years after the beginning of the empire, that Kramer’s mental health was called into question by his advisors, something that sent shockwaves throughout the empire when leaked to the public. For the ambitious figures that had been stuck under Kramer’s rule, this was the long-awaited sign to take action. Dissent began to brew as younger, regional leaders repeatedly checked Kramer’s authority, taking actions that they’d never be bold enough to attempt 30 years before. The elves began fighting amongst themselves again, the dwarves of the Southern Rubrak openly spoke of a new monastic line, and the rich merchants of Ferroford began to smuggle and skirt around imperial taxes. In response, Kramer withdrew into himself, becoming increasingly imprisoned within his fortress rather than facing the troubles of the day. However, this dissent would only be the beginning of the crisis. In 465, a new player emerged in the Reef. A mysterious and exceptionally potent necromancer, known only as Szardomac, entered the world stage. His reign of terror began not far from Kramer’s Crown as a minor disturbance, one that all too quickly morphed into a full-fledged crisis. The dark shadow of death descended onto the lands around the capital, as entire villages were decimated by the mage’s dark magic, only to be added to Szardomac’s undead army. In response, the rest of the empire failed to come to their Emperor’s aid, trusting instead in their regional leaders to protect their own lands from the undead threat. Kramer himself, with his entire family collected in the old fortress, refused to leave, ultimately failing to protect the Crown Lands as Szardomac ravaged the poorly guarded cities and villages nearby. The lands around Kramer’s Crown became a massive grave, and Varam Kramer was surrounded, without much aid, by the dead. It wasn’t long before Szardomac descended on his prize. Kramer’s Crown was surrounded by an army of undeath, with only a tattered force remaining to protect it. Inside the fortress, conditions were not much better. In a fit of madness, Kramer had his collected family murdered in the night, screaming accusations of treason and betrayal before his advisors could stop him. This act would be the final straw. Realizing that Kramer was a lost cause, his most powerful advisers teleported to safety, not willing to kill their Emperor for his actions, but not willing to save him either. Without anyone to protect him, Kramer was alone. Szardomac’s following victory would be nearly instantaneous. Thankfully, Szardomac would fail to get much farther than Craven’s Crown, the nickname of the old fortress invented due to the final actions of its namesake. Kramer’s advisors, regrouping in safety, devised a plan to defeat the power-crazed necromancer. Their first attempt, a direct assault, was a nearly disastrous failure, but their second succeeded with better planning and the aid of an unknown artifact, supposedly ending the undead threat for good. Szardomac was no more. The Kramer Empire, without a ruler, was also no more. Following the end of the undead crisis, the Reef was once again divided. City-states of the West fought among each other, the elves of Tolstock battled for supremacy, and the races of the far South looked to their own kind for leadership. The southern dwarves crowned a new king, and, taking advantage of an already expansive mithril mine, began construction of a great city-fortress known as Vol Drahim in an attempt to protect its people from orcish and goblinoid raiders. Ferroford, still wielding substantial economic power, began to slowly retake control of the surrounding cities, this time rebranding itself as a confederacy rather than a kingdom. Finally, after another half millennium of fighting in the Tolstockian region, a powerful elven mage known as Gabriel would seize control of the remaining elven tribes. These changes took place over a thousand-year timespan known as the Anarchic Period, with political progress only occurring after hundreds of years of strife. 1,000 years later, three main powers would emerge from these dark times, along with various city-states and tribal powers also independent from outside control. The elves of the region known as Tolstock, from the largest city, also named Tolstock, fell in line under Archmage Gabriel. Ferroford, in turn, would become the capital of a confederacy known as the Western Free Cities, retaking much of the land once controlled by the Western Kingdom. Eastmark, ever unchanging, would remain as it always had. The dwarves of Vol Drahim would prosper in their mountain fortress, and the orcish tribes about Kegla Mal continued their practice of raiding and occasional unity. Wars broke out between and within these powers on occasion during and after the Anarchic Period, but nothing of major significance would truly happened until the Culling, a historical event so complicated and massive that it’s perhaps better understood if explained elsewhere. Even after the culling, the political climate of the Reef is still exceptionally chaotic. The dwarves of Vol Drahim are all but gone. The orcs are united again under a new chieftain, and the Western Free Cities are split between the old confederacy and the fanatical Durzian Order. In Tolstock, the democratic power of New Silvermoon is in control, but under heavy pressure from the expanding Durzians. The new Kingdom of Rociff, founded by Ferrod’s descendant Feridor on the eastern coast of the formerly untamed Northern Continent, also fights against the Durzians, all while defending itself from the savagery of the North and the Frost Bay Wilders. In closing, the future of the Reef is ever uncertain, but if history is any guide, peace will never be usual. Even if it is achieved again, it will likely be an ephemeral phenomenon, blown to the wind as soon as the next conqueror, king, or opportunist sees a chance to act.